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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29821899">shunned</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/g_xlatea/pseuds/g_xlatea'>g_xlatea</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dr. Stone [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dr. STONE (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Study, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:01:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>403</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29821899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/g_xlatea/pseuds/g_xlatea</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Chrome was not cast out, but he might as well have been</i>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dr. Stone [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2194665</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>shunned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chrome was not cast out, but he might as well have been. The whispers had followed behind his back and every word had felt like a knife embedding onto his back.</p><p>He lived right outside the village now and it hurt a bit, to be alone. But at least he could breathe without eyes judging him even for that.</p><p>He missed being able to talk to Ruri, but he wouldn't have been able to do that even inside. She was village priestess now.</p><p>He wasn't entirely alone; Kohaku visted him. She also relayed messages from Ruri sometimes, and that felt nice.</p><p>The guards weren't particularly friendly. Ginrou was terrified of him and his sorcery, which was actually kinda amusing. Kinrou, ever a stickler for the rules, didn't believe in socialising while on the job.</p><p>They weren't bad people though. Ginrou asked him about his rocks sometimes, when he got up his courage and Kinrou, while not as chatty, let him ramble about his findings without complaint. They didn't stop Kohaki from visting Chrome or getting him food (not that they could). But they did stop the villagers who, viewing Chrome's sorcery as bad luck, wanted to destroy his things... Or him.</p><p>So he was safe, even outside the bounds of the village.</p><p>It wasn't a bad life. He worked on trying to find a cure and occasionally got Ginrou involved in his tests. Kinrou stuck to his post, but having him around was a comfort. And Kohaku talked to him pretty much every day, either before or after fetching water for Ruri.</p><p>Most of the day he would be out, exploring the caves and gathering rocks or finding new plants to test out. He was always either sick or injured; cave spelunking wasn't meant to be done alone and the cures he tried to make were often inedible. But he had figured out how to make painkillers and dress his wounds; he knew how to treat fevers, nausea and more. So he was fine, really.</p><p>It could probably be better. He seemed to be no closer to a cure which frustrated him to no end. Drudgery and loneliness made it harder to smile every day. But it could also be worse. All there was to do was throw himself into work. It worked out well; his drive was largely for Ruri's sake, but it also left him less time to think... and hurt.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I think in canon Chrome chose to set up the hut outside the village willingly, not because he was banished (though I'm not certain). And it got me thinking, what would make someone willingly separate themselves like that from their community.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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